Future Past
by LindsayQ
Summary: First Supernatural fic: Deanna, Sam's daughter, is carrying on the family business with Sam and Dean's help, of course!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Futures Past (working title)  
****Author AtticusFinchFan  
****Rating: PG-13  
****Summary: Deanna Winchester, Sam's daughter, carrying on the family business…with Sam and Dean's help, of course. One case they come in contact with hits close too home for Dean and Sam, and make's them realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same.  
****A/N: Un beta-ed (for now) Tell me what ya think.**

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My name is Deanna Mary Winchester; I'm a 20 year old high school graduate, I have a severely overprotective dad, a _much_ cooler uncle and my life is the family business. Normal, right? Not quite. Ya see, if you knew exactly what my family's business was you'd…well…I don't plan on telling you. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you it's not your average business. Not in the least. 

Like most kids with folks with businesses I started helping out at a young age, even before I started school, but don't tell my dad. I spent many a night (and day) working and I still do. And like _some_ kids with folks in a business we, my dad, my uncle, and I, share common interests. We all want to see the business through and we're all car crazy.

But unlike most kids with folks that run a business, I was reared by one parent and one parent only. I'm what some people call a "bastard". I'm the product of my dad's one and only one night stand. Literally days after my birth, my mother, not wanting anything to do with me or the Winchesters, left me on the hood of my dad and uncle's car and disappeared into the abyss – I've never wanted to meet her and I don't think I ever will.

I know there had to have been a fight when I appeared. With my family a fight's always involved…_especially_ when responsibility comes into play. But unlike most men forced into parenthood, my dad _wanted_ to keep me. My uncle was the one that wanted to give me up for adoption. I don't hold that against him. I can't. He's my favourite uncle.

I have been accompanying my dad and uncle on business trips since before I can remember. That's how it was and that's how it will always be. Just Uncle Dean, dad, and I.

* * *

Deanna slid gracefully out the driver's side door and slammed it behind her. There were definitely some perks to having had the same car since before you were legal driving age. She had gotten over the awkwardness of getting up to get out of the car long before she should have, and she was on the road and driving before most of her friends had their learners permit. She casually leaned against the Sting Ray's hood and looked around as she waited for her uncle.

"What's up, ugly?" Her head whipped to the right. The way her uncle leaned against the tree sent chills shooting down her spine. It was almost as if she was looking in a mirror. He even bent his arms in the exact way she did. "Ya," He smiled. "I'm talking to you."

She sighed in exasperation and pushed herself away from the car. "You're going to have to stop sneaking up on me if I'm going to work full time." She kept her arms crossed and tucked into her sweater as she approached him.

Just before she was within a foot of her uncle her dad appeared from the other side of the tree. She jumped back. "Who said this is full time, Deanna?"

"Hi dad. And I did." She shrugged as she covered the rest of the space between her and her uncle. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions." She turned to her uncle. "Right?"

Dean's jaw went slack as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. Why did he always end up in the middle of these things? "Well," He stared at his niece and then locked eyes with his expectant brother and froze. He shook his head and lowered his eyes. "I don't know." He looked back up at Sam just in time to see his shoulders relax…slightly.

"_You don't know_!" And now he had to deal with the spawn of Sammy. He turned to stare Deanna in the face. Her eyes looked just as disbelieving as her voice sounded. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

He suddenly went on the defensive as he realized he was facing two very upset Winchesters without a cross and garlic. "I mean I don't know! Ok!"

"I cannot believe this!" Deanna momentarily forgot about her hands and threw them in the air in exasperation. She realized what she had done as soon as she saw their attention follow her hands up. She shot them back down and tucked them back into her sweater. Deanna knew she was in it…deep, no need to fight back anymore. She was dead.

She couldn't help _but_ see the steely eyes they were giving her. They were the only thing she could see, everything else around her had quickly blurred when the blood rushed to her head to colour her cheeks faster than, in any other circumstance, humanly possibly. It's not like trees and grass mattered anymore anyway. She was dead.

"Deanna, would mind telling how you got those cuts?" Her dad was pissed. Her eyes panned to steal a glance at her uncle. Ouch, man…he wasn't just mad. He was absolutely livid!

She laughed nervously and unfolded her arms, but still managed to keep her hands inside the sleeves of her sweater. "You wouldn't believe me" wait…that was stupid.

Her dad shook his head, but her uncle was the one who voiced what they were both thinking. "Don't even play that card with us, Deanna." For the first time since she had arrived, he moved away from the tree and came to stand beside his brother. Great! Now she had two pissed off male Winchester's in a line, which meant there was no escape. They were old, but damn fast. "Now, either you're going to tell us right now-" "Or," she turned her attention to her dad. "We'll all stand here until you do. Your choice, Deanna."

She knew they weren't joking. They had had a similar run in 6 years ago, the day after her first date. A couple minutes after her dad had gotten off the phone with her date's irate father. They had spent 4 hours, under a tree in their backyard. Finally after going through a whole book's worth of bribes and a whole case of Coke, Deanna finally gave in. He had gotten the limp when she stomped on his toes with her stiletto heel and the black eye appeared a couple minutes after she punched him in the eye. He had simply refused to back off after she had continually denied his advances. So he paid the price. Her dad and uncle had never looked so proud before.

Something deep down inside her told Deanna that they wouldn't be proud this time. Not after she told them what had happened this time.

"Ya ever heard of Bloody Mary?"

They shared a quick glance then turned back to Deanna. Her uncle swallowed hard and nodded. Her dad just stared at her with wide brown eyes. Something told her she was going to get it again. "Continue, Deanna. Tell us what she's got to do with the cuts on your hands." Why did her uncle sound worried? He never got worried…well, except when he was in the air.

"It wasn't my fault." She lowered her head. "It was Kali, my friend's fault. We were in Wal-mart, getting stuff for her dorm. As we were passing the mirror section she quickly said…well…you know, three times." She looked up when she heard them gasp. She knew they hadn't wanted her to hear them, she could tell by the way they're jaws were clamped together. "Don't worry," she smirked. "I got her. I'd been reading your diaries. I knew what-"

"Of all the stupidest things to do!" her uncle's outburst made her jump 3 feet in the air. "You could have been killed!" He stepped towards her and she instinctively took a step back. "Your eyes, Deanna!" He pointed at his eyes. "She takes your eyes!"

Suddenly all life in the park came to a dead halt as everyone and everything turned to stare directly at Deanna. Self consciousness had never really been a problem for Deanna during her formative years, but it was amazing how fast that "missed opportunity" caught up to her. As soon as she realized she was able to lock eyes with everyone in the park, all at once, her face flushed beet red and she folded in on herself.

"Do you know what its like to listen to the victims families? It's hell, dammit! How could you even think about doing that to your dad! I thought you had more sense than that!"

"Dean," Her uncle's ranting stopped abruptly. "Maybe we should continue this somewhere else." Dean drew in a deep breath then nodded and allowed Sam to wrap his arm around his shoulder and lead him away from the tree. Deanna was just about to move to follow behind when her father whipped his head around and glared at her. His eyes were burning with a fiery she had never seen before…that wasn't good. Her dad never got mad, well, that mad. Maybe she would just rethink her little move and… -_One, two, three, four…_- she counted out the steps it took her to get back to the curb in her head and froze.

She had her car and a wallet. She could just leave town and go live on a small, remote, deserted island somewhere in the Bahamas, where her dad or uncle could never find her and live happily ever- no she couldn't. She was too use to unrelenting chaos to live a life of complete relaxation; she couldn't leave the city, even if it was going to kill her one of these days. Judging by the look her dad had given her before leading her Uncle Dean away, "one of these days" was today.

If it had been physically possible, Deanna would have kicked her own ass for starting it in the first place. She should have known her dad would have tagged along. She was an idiot for even mentioning not going to school. Her uncle Dean had known, and he was fine with it. But her dad…she hadn't even approached him with the idea. He had done everything but literally drill it into her skull that she was going to college or university and that he wouldn't settle for anything less. Well…he was going to have to. She had applied to every college and university in the United States and had been denied. Several times over. From every single one. Because of her less than impressive grades. Of course, her father was under the impression she was doing brilliantly. Deanna never had the heart to show or tell him otherwise. She just figured why kick a poor man when he was down? He had absolutely no idea that what he had seen on every report card she had ever taken home since grade 5 had been _severely _altered. The only brilliant thing in the Deanna/school report card equation was Photoshop.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Futures Past (working title)  
****Author AtticusFinchFan  
****Rating: K+  
****Summary: Deanna Winchester, Sam's daughter, carrying on the family business…with Sam and Dean's help, of course. One case they come in contact with hits close too home for Dean and Sam, and help's them realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same.  
****A/N: Un beta-ed (for now) **

* * *

Her hand flung to her back pocket when she felt her cell phone vibrate. She put it to her ear. "Winchester." She turned suddenly and reached for the door handle. "When did it start?" and yanked the door open. "How many cases have been reported?" Then slid into the driver's seat and quickly closed the door. "Where?" She turned the key, revved the engine, put her foot on the brake, and put it in drive. "Ok, I'll meet up with a couple associates before hand and be there sometime tomorrow. Cool?" "Ok, bye." Deanna threw the phone on the seat beside her, gripped the wheel with both hands and slammed on the gas.

Before she could even think about coming to someone's rescue she had to worry about no one coming to _her_ rescue.

Even before she pulled into the driveway, her dad stepped onto the front porch, and the temperature dropped 20 degrees…ok, maybe not, but it felt like it to her. "The best way to preserve the body." She muttered.

Her dad approached the car, and stood right in front of the door so she couldn't get out. "Took you long enough."

It took all Deanna had not to roll her eyes. She kept her attention focused in front of her and her jaw clenched tightly. "Farmers Branch, Texas."

"What has Farmers Branch, Texas got anything to do with why it took you so long to get here?"

She turned her head slightly and glared at her dad. "Farmers Branch, Texas is where there's a job."

"What?" he stepped back slightly. "How? How do you know?"

Deanna picked up her cell phone. "I got a phone call from a contact in Texas."

"_Who_ do you know in Texas?"

"I have a couple friends that went to the University of Texas in Arlington. I visited them in the summer."

Her dad was silent for a minute. Deanna foolishly thought she was off the hook. She usually was when they were presented with a job. "Well, Texas can wait. Come inside. There are things I want to talk to you about." See? Foolish.

She sighed in exasperation as her head hit the steering wheel with a thud. "Yes sir,"

As soon as Deanna entered the house the temperature dropped another 20 degrees. Her uncle was alive and well apparently. She entered the living room, he was sitting in the lounge chair near the window, he had had his head against the backrest and his eyes closed. The sun coming in through the window bathed his whole body in sun. And at that moment in time Deanna found it hard to believe how much sun could make a leather jacket and blue jean clad middle aged man look like the innocent young man she knew he once was.

She stepped forward. "Uncle Dean?" he jumped a bit and focused his weary eyes on her. She was almost sorry to have disturbed him.

"You're back," his lips curled into a semi snarl as he settled his head against the backrest again and closed his eyes. "What happened? Get called off again or ya just didn't-"

"Actually!" she cut him off before he could finish. "Actually I did get a call."

His head turned slightly, but other than that he didn't make any inclination he had even heard her.

"A contact in Texas phoned me-"

"A contact!" his head shot up. "A contact? What are ya now?" he shot her an incredulous glare. "A seasoned vet?"

Deanna sighed. Couldn't she get one break today? Where was a Kit Kat when ya needed one? "Look, just listen to me, alright?"

He snorted and then settled again. Obviously he didn't want to hear anymore. –_Too bad_-

"What he told me," she bowed her head and focused all her attention on her hands, "It sounds a lot like a myth I've heard about called the Blood Libel myth."

Her uncle shifted violently in his chair. "You know about that myth?"

"But it's not exactly like it." Deanna rushed. "Instead of minority religion sacrificing, it's different…"

"How, De?" Dean slid to the edge of his seat and fixed his niece with a determine glare. "Tell me, how is it different?"

"The babies…they're dying and no one knows how and why. Healthy babies one day and dead the next. At first they thought it was S.I.D.S., but after the 6th case was reported in as many weeks-"

"They started to realize that whatever it was wasn't S.I.D.S.-" Dean finished it for her. She nodded and he stood. "We'll talk on the way." He quickly covered the distance between the lounge chair and the front door, then pulled it open and waited for Deanna to catch up. As soon as she got close enough to the door he pushed her the rest of the way out and closed the door behind them.

The two stopped rather abruptly when they noticed their brother and dad leaning against the Impala with his arms crossed over his chest and a rather impassive look on his face. He smirked when he saw them. "I figured as soon as you started talking about Texas to your uncle that I may as well ready us for the road."

Deanna's hand slipped to her back pocket, where she usually kept her car keys. "You threw them on the table in a fit before storming to the living room. I grabbed them and threw a couple of changes of clothes in the Stingray's trunk." Who needed a mom when you had Sam Winchester for a dad?

"Oh," she nodded slightly and slid her hand back around to the front and shoved it into the front pocket of her hoodie. Black. Just like her uncle's jacket. "Thanks."

Her dad's attention slipped from her to her uncle. "And for Dean Sr." He smirked at his own joke. "I pack stuff for you too. It's in the Impala."

"Ah…" Father and daughter turned their attention to uncle as Dean spoke up. "I'd like De to ride in the Impala with me. At least until the first stop." He shrugged. "I'd like to talk to her for a while."

"Ok," Sam nodded and pushed off of the Impala. "Throw me your keys, Deanna and we'll get going."

Deanna sighed in an exaggerated manner as she obeyed her father and threw him her keys. –_Man_- she thought –_this is gonna be a long ride_.- What scared her even more about the ride to Texas was no knowing whether it was the ride itself or the fact that some of that ride, if not all, would be spent in the same car as her uncle. Any other time she wouldn't have bothered, but this time her uncle was pissed off and most times, when her uncle was in a pissed off mood, Deanna had a hard time comparing the feeling she got to anything other than what a person would feel like if they had been thrown to a whole pack of rabid, starving wolves.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Futures Past (working title)  
Author AtticusFinchFan  
Rating: K+  
Summary: Deanna Winchester, Sam's daughter, carrying on the family business…with Sam and Dean's help, of course. One case they come in contact with hits close too home for Dean and Sam, and help's them realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same.  
A/N: Un beta-ed (for now) **

* * *

6 hours, 49 minutes, and 21 seconds down, a helluva lot more to go. Deanna cast a bleary eyed glance in her uncle's direction. They'd talked since getting in the car, a lot actually. They had just not talked about what she knew he _wanted_ to talk about. He caught her staring and smirked. "Ya tired, De?"

She shook her head a bit then moaned at the pain that created in her head. "Yes." She pinched the bridge of her nose in hopes to alleviate some of the pain. "I haven't been sleeping well for a couple weeks." She squeezed her eyes closed and lowered her head.

"_Weeks_?" She could hear the disbelief in his voice and smirked slightly.

"About 3 to be exact." Deanna raised her head and turned her attention to focus on her uncle.

She could see worry crease her uncles rather sharp features. "Has this got anything to do with Bloody Mary? Anything at all?"

She shook her head truthfully. "No. My insomnia has nothing to do with Bloody Mary. That didn't do anything."

"Those cuts on your arms aren't _nothing_, Deanna." His retort was quick, without the exclusion of even a second. She knew it was going to start sometime, but why now when she was half asleep? Why not later, after she got some sleep?

Deanna sighed in resignation and slid her hand slightly slowly up her arm. "She was going after my friend, what was I supposed to do?" she struggled to remain impassive. In truth she had been quite scared terrified. Breaking and smashing every and anything that moved with anything she had around her and trying hard not to screech and scream in fear. Unfortunately, she had been so mixed up in trying to get Mary, which she did, that she didn't realize she had left her arms bare and now had a ton of tiny (and not so tiny) shards of glass sticking out of her arms with blood dripping from open wounds made by shards that flew by her as she continued on to the next mirror and the next.

She had spent most of that night sobbing as the numbness died away and left her in excruciating pain. She had never wanted to come home and curl into her dad and uncle's arms as much before as she did that night. But she also knew that she even attempted to come home with her arms in the state they were she would get a stern talking to. Even sterner than she was getting now.

"You could have stopped your friend from saying it in the first place." His voice was rising. This wasn't good.

"Kali had said it even before I had gotten to that isle."

"I thought your dad and I raised you to be smarter than that, Deanna. Especially coming from the background that you have." he smacked the steering wheel with his fist as his brow creased in frustrated fury.

"And how the hell would I explain it to Kali without having her think I have completely and utterly lost it! Would I say, "Oh, and by the way Kali, if you go by any mirrors don't say Bloody Mary three times cause you could die." She knows I'm a little nuts, but that would have made her think I was off completely off my rocker!"

"Good!" Her uncle exclaimed. "You should have let her! If she can't understand you completely then you shouldn't call her a friend."

Now he was telling her who she should and shouldn't call a friend. "Look!" she snipped. "Just because you've alienated every friend and almost every relative you've ever had doesn't mean I have to." Her eyes grew wide, her hand snapped over her mouth and the car slowed down considerably as her uncle's foot fell completely off the accelerator as he turned extremely wide eyes on her. That had been a low shot, she knew and she knew he knew it. God, how had she gone from feeling so high on frustration and anger to being so low down on guilt and regret in a matter of seconds?

Deanna looked down after a couple seconds and sighed. "I'm s-sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

The car was dead silent for 15 minutes and 36 seconds before her uncle spoke, she had been counting. "No, no, you're right."

She looked up, if not in shock, than in curiosity. Had she heard him right?

"Don't look at me like I've grown a second head, De. I'm serious." He was smiling. He was actually honest to god, smiling. "You and your dad are all I have left and trust me, I have no idea why you two have stayed with me this long. After all the things I did to you two over the years."

She shook her head, dumbfounded as they came. "No, you di-"

"Yes I have, De, and don't try to tell me otherwise. I took your dad out of school when he was younger, a brighter future ahead of him than I ever had when I was his age, and made him do this with me. This became his life, and his life he had wanted got lost in the shuffle."

"But he wan-"

"Let me finish, Deanna." he cut in. "Then I do the same thing to his daughter, make her come on these runs with me since before she could remember. If I could take it all back, De, I probably would. Your father had such high hopes for you when you were a baby, college or university and a family. I had to step in and mess it all up...again. Your grades suffered, your personal life suffered - hell, I've ruined both your lives..." he turned to her for a split second. She bit back on a gasp when she saw tears glisten in his eyes. "But you two, thick headed idiots stick by me like two lost puppies."

After a couple minutes to digest what her uncle had just divulged, Deanna smiled despite the unshed tears in her eyes and said, "and we always will."

Her uncle laughed a bit and bowed his head and wiped his eyes. "And you won't ever know how much you two idiots mean to me...because frankly, kid.." he sniffed hard and raised his head. A smile once again played with the corners of his lips. "I won't ever let you find out."

She smirked. -_I think I have uncovered your secret, Uncle Dean_.-

"Whoa!" he exclaimed with a laugh as he looked down at the speedometer. "I better lay my foot on the gas before your dad starts thinking I've gone soft."

She laughed. This Winchester family had more secrets, twists and turns than the Winchester mystery house, that was something she could easily attest to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Futures Past (working title)  
Author AtticusFinchFan  
Rating: K+  
Summary: Deanna Winchester, Sam's daughter, carrying on the family business…with Sam and Dean's help, of course. One case they come in contact with hits close too home for Dean and Sam, and help's them realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same.  
A/N: Un beta-ed (for now) **

* * *

-**_Rock a bye, baby, on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby cradle and all_**- _Deanna looked down at the bundle in her arms and smiled. The soft breeze ruffled the down like hair on the top of the baby's head, but other than did nothing to disturb the sleeping child. The smell of freshly cut grass surrounded her like a blanket, but she blocked it as best she could. For all she wanted to smell was the intoxicating smell of the little being in her arms. _

_She gently laid the child on her legs and brought her knees up. Then tucked her right hand gently under the baby's head and lifted it slightly so it was closer to her lips and then pressed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead. _

_She violently drew her face back when the child drew in a sharp breath. -Oh god!- her face contorted in horror as the child's lips turned blue before her very eyes. "Baby, wake-" Deanna violently snapped her mouth shut when she noticed a transparent red cloud had begun to waft from her mouth and engulf the child like a cacoon. She watched in stunned silence for a couple seconds before a violent flash of dispair and pain hit her. The cloud had quickly dispated and left her craddling a cold, blue skinned baby in her arms._

_Deanna dropped the child to the ground and proceeded by clawing and kicking backwards as far and as fast as she could. All the while keeping her wide eyes on the unmoving baby laying with limbs bent in ways and shapes that should have been physically impossible, but weren't because the child was dead and broken. _

_What had she done?_

"Oh, man...c'mon Deanna...c'mon sweetheart, open your eyes." a hand gave her cheek several little smacks in a row as another one drew the hair away from her face. "C'mon sweetheart. I know you can hear me, just open your eyes." -_What_?- Deanna's eyes shot open so quick both her uncle and dad jumped in surprise. Recognition hit her eyes as relief flooded theirs. "Oh god." her dad sighed in relief as he bent foward and gathered her head in a hug and pressed it against his chest. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

As soon as her dad pulled away, she sat forward and wiped her eyes. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare." She turned her groggy head towards her uncle. He was behind a steering wheel, evidently they were still in the car.

"What? I was sleeping? Why did you let me fall asleep?"

Her uncle repostioned his arm by placing on the steering wheel, with his hand hanging off the edge. "Because I'm an awesome Uncle. Now what was that about?"

Deanna shook her head. "I don't know. I've never had _that_ dream before."

"_Dreams_?" she heard the incredulous tone in her dad's voice and looked up. He was staring at her with the same wide eyes she had woken up to. "You mean, you've had dreams like this before?"

She nodded. "For years. They've never really bothered me before 3 weeks ago."

"_Years_?" she rolled her eyes. Why didn't it surprise her that that had been the only thing he had heard?

"Yes, dad, years. But so did you, you still do." She shrugged. "So it may just be a genetic thing."

"Do you still have dreams, Sam?"

Suddenly all the attention in the car shifted from her to her dad. Where had she been? Her dad sighed in annoyance and waved his head to dismiss her uncles question. "Nevermind that-"

"No nevermind, Sammy, answer me." When her uncle wanted to know something he never gave up. Well...most of the time.

Deanna's dad snapped his attention to her uncle and glared at him. "It's Sam, and yes, I do, ok? It isn't about me right now, Dean. It's about my daughter." he poked her on the shoulder and she turned back to him. "What happened in your dream?"

Deanna involuntarily shuddered at the all too fresh memory in her mind. "I killed a baby." She shifted in her seat and bowed her head. "I kissed its forehead and..." she bit her lips closed to keep her emotions at bay and swallowed hard. "killed it."

The car was silent for about 15 minutes, which gave Deanna ample time to wallow in her own misery. "You know that dream's not true, right De?" Her uncle's voice shook a bit, but it still held the authoritative tone she was used to. "That could never happen."

She turned her bowed head towards him and cast him a sideways smile. "I know." She nodded slightly. "But it doesn't make it hurt any less, does it?"

"Awe..." her dad gathered the back of her head in his hand once more and pushed it against his chest. In any other situation Deanna would have been screaming bloody murder at the embarassing habit he had of still hugging her whenever he felt like it, but right now she needed to feel close to someone. She needed to feel protected. Even if it was from herself. "That's never going to happen, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead.

"I think we all need a good nights rest." Her uncle interjected his opinion. "We're at the hotel, so let's go in. We'll come out and get our clothes in the morning."

Deanna's dad nodded, but she shook her head. "I don't think I'll sleep tonight." she raised her big hazel eyes to his and smirked. "I think I'll just take my car and go get a whole load of coffee or something to keep my mind off of things."

"No." They objected in unison.

"What!" She jumped. "Why?"

"Because you're not." Her dad snipped. "Now, c'mon, out of the car."

"I won't sleep though." -_God_.- She thought -_Men_.-

"I don't care." her uncle stated. "I want you out of my car now and you're not getting back in until tomorrow morning. I'm hiding the keys." Deanna's attention shifted to her dad. "Of both cars." And shot back to her uncles. Dean just smirked. "Go. Now."

Deanna growled in frustration and slid out of the seat. She pulled her sweater down in the back with her left hand and slammed the door with her right. Her dad stood just off to her side watching her, it was almost like he didn't trust her. But then, she couldn't really blame him. He had been the unfortunate victim of many of her uncle's tricks for more years than she had been around, he had just gotten smarter with her, he knew the signs now. Lucky her.

"This a complete waste of time." She waited until her dad move to start towards the door.

"Trust me, kid." Her uncle threw open the door and stepped through, then her dad, and then her. "It won't be." He turned slightly before he got to the front desk. "If you're anything like your dad you'll be out like a light 5 minutes after your head hits the pillow."

She was just about to voice her objections when her dad turned to look over his shoulder and cast her a sharp glare. She quickly settled again. Evidently he hadn't told him about his current 3 month bout with insomnia. Did it really surprise her? No.

It took a couple minutes, but they did eventually got a room. Deanna had wanted her own but her uncle had quickly objected, he wanted to keep an eye on her, evidently he didn't trust her either. Most likely because she was just too much like him for his comfort. So they just got a room with two beds. Deanna and her dad in one and her uncle in the other.

As soon as Dean got to the room he collasped on the bed closest to the door, face down. He hadn't even stopped to take his jacket or shoes off. Deanna looked down at him like he was crazy, which was a complete and total plausible possibility, but her dad just laughed and ushered her the rest of the way inside. "Dean won't be moving tonight. So it looks like we've got the bed by the window." He was slipping his shoes off as he moved towards it.

She had just laid down and closed her eyes after taking her shoes and jacket off, when she felt a large hand wipe the bangs out of her face and shot her eyes open. "What are you doing?"

"Close your eyes, Dean." her dad sighed in exasperation as he settled on his side with his arm bent under him support his weight and placed his open hand on her cheek. "I know what I'm doing." Deanna didn't budge. "I'm going to try to help you sleep, Dean, so just close your eyes."

"Fine!" she hissed and closed her eyes again. She had just begun to settle when she felt a hand touch her face again and jumped. "Shhh..." He started gently tracing the side of her face. She sighed in contentment as the warmth of his hand started seeping into her skin and envelope her like a blanket.

"See?" Her dad chuckled. He shifted slightly and exhaled. "You loved it when I did this to you when you were little."

Deanna smiled at the memory. "I remember."

"Do ya remember the song I would hum...and sing?"

She opened her eyes and flashed her dad a grin. "G&R Sweet Child..."

"Yup." he nodded then smiled. "Now close your eyes again."

Deanna obeyed. "I bet I was the only kid being sernaded by a song almost as old as her father."

"Um hm." he agreed. "I bet you were the only kid _ever_ to be sernaded nightly by two of the most off key guys on the earth singing a hair metal rock ballad."

"You weren't that bad." she smirked. "Axl would have been proud."

"Oh shut up." she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"I'm telling the truth, man! Sing it again."

"Ah...no, just go to sleep, Dean."

She moaned. "Oh fine, just go to sleep soon yourself or I _will_ tell him about your insomnia."

"Yes ma'am." he pressed his palm down over her eyes and ordered her. "Now sleep."

As soon as Sam was certain Deanna was asleep, he settled down and closed his eyes.

As soon as Dean was certain Sam was sleeping, he opened his eyes and looked across the dark room at the father and daughter on the other bed. Sam had his arm draped over Deanna's hip and the most content look on his face that he had seen on his face in months. He had heard every word the two had whispered, but paid special attention to Deanna's word as soon as he heard him threaten her dad to tell him about his insomnia. But maybe he no longer had to worry about Sam not getting any sleep because his daughter with him now. This trip was going to be tough. No hunt had ever been easy. But for some reason he was sure that it was just what they all needed.

A smile came to his lips as he realized, it was like a family vacation. A very weird, screwed up family vacation, but a family vacation nonetheless.

Maybe Sam was right. Maybe he _was_ getting soft in his old age.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Don't own Yellow Rose of Texas, that honour belongs to the late great, Waylon Jennings.**

Tell me what ya think.**

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"...you saved my soul from hell...she's a diamond of the desert, she's the golden flower of spring...she's the yellow rose of Texas...she can make a man a king." Her uncle. It had to be. He was the only one that ever played this song, so damn...she slid her arm out from underneath her pillow and checked her watch...7:30...early.**

"God..." her protest was mix of a gutteral groan and a stretch as she turned on to her back and stared daggers at her uncle, who sat on the other bed. Seemingly ignorant of his less than happy niece in the next bed. "Why do you always have to play the same damn song...at the same damn time...I never knew 7:30 A.M. was an actual time until a couple months ago."

Dean looked up at Deanna for a split second before looking back down at his laptop. He slid his finger along the pad and tapped it twice. The volume on the computer and Deannas growl in protest rose in unison as he laughed and set the laptop on the bed. "Ya shoulda went to college then, kid." he slapped his lap twice then got up and rounded Deanna's bed. "C'mon. Get up." With one skilled swipe of his hands the curtains whipped back. Sunlight immediately enveloped the room in a warm, bright glow like a mega-watt interegation lamp...at least thats what it felt like to a bleary eyed 20 year old that just wanted the world to go away again.

"No!" Deanna snipped. She grabbed the other pillow from the other side of the bed and threw it over her head. "Go away."

"What's that?" Dean grabbed the pillow and yanked it away from her face. He moved his face towards her till there wasn't even enough room for his hand between them. "I didn't hear you."

Deanna stared at her psychotic uncle for 5 minutes before she snapped and started giggling. GIGGLING! "You fool."

Dean smiled and moved away. "Thank you." "Now, c'mon." he smacked her thigh. "Get up."

She groaned again. "Ok...here I go..." She didn't move. "I'm comin..."

"I'm your uncle, De'!" Dean exclaimed in feigned shock. "I don't think I should be privy to that kind of information!" Said shock was soon replaced by a loud gutteral laugh.

"If you were anyone else I would have gotten up to kick your ass."

"Good! At least you'd get up."

Deanna rolled on to her stomach again and settled into her pillow. "But since you're my uncle, I figure why bother?"

"Get up, Deanna. Now." She shot up and focused her unfocused attention on the door. Her dad stood in the opened door like a shaggy haired angel...with food! Even before Deanna knew she had moved, she was across the room and ripping apart a coconut donut. Sam smiled. "Good?" Deanna nodded and moaned in pleasure. "Ah..." he bowed his head and shook it. "Not a sound I want to hear from my daughter."

Her eyes grew wide. "What's today, pick on the chick day?" she spun on her heels and looked at Dean. "I've gotten the same thing from both of you, and I've only been up for a couple minutes."

Dean checked his watch, adjusted his jacket, tilted his head and pouted. "7 minutes and 23 seconds."

"Thank you very much, Count!" **_If looks could kill_**.

She had just turned back to her dad when she started to blush. -_The count!_- "Sorry, ain't thinking."

Sam jerked his head. "Get your stuff and let-" He's already on the ground unconscious, half inside the room, when the coffees and tea finally hit the ground and splatter all over anything and everything within a 4 foot radius, including Dean and Deanna's feet, hands and legs as they each dive toward the sprawled figure of their brother and father respectively.

By this time, Deanna's in a complete state of paralysis, all she can do is stare down at her dad from her place beside his legs. Luckily for her and Sam, Dean, who was able to maneuver around Sam's body to come to rest above his head, is able to get a tighter grip on his emotions and take his unconscious brother's head in his lap. "Alright, Sammy." He moved forward until he felt his brother's shoulder blades make contact with his knees, then looped his arms under Sams arm pits and pulled him closer to him until his head rested against Dean's chest and lulled forward. "No you don't." Dean pulled Sam's body even closer.

"Come on, little brother, wake up." He gently slapped Sam's cheek a few times then waited. Nothing happened. "Sammy, wake up! You're not hurt." Pressing his two fingers against Sam's neck he felt for a pulse. It was weaker than it was supposed to be, but not weak enough to make him pass out. Something else had done it.

"He's never done this before, has he, Uncle Dean?" Deanna's eyes were wide with unadulterated fear and Dean knew as he stared into them there was no way he could relieve those fears. He was just as terrified. Deanna was right. He had never done this before.

"Of course he has, sweetheart, you know your dad." -_Anything to save face, right?_- "He'll wake up on his own." -_Liar! How do you know_.- "Ya just gotta help him along a bit." He pulled his brother closer to him until his arms almost wrapped around him from the front and then whispered in his ear. "C'mon, Sammy. You're scain me now. Wake up."

Dean placed Sams form flat on the floor and moved away. "C'mon sweetheart." he reached out to grab Deanna's arm to pull her away, but jerked back suddenly as life seemed to return to Sam.

Sam's eyes flashed open he shot up grabbed Deanna's arm with one hand, violently yanked her closer to him then grabbed her throat with his right hand and started to squeeze it as hard as he could. He's eyes burned, and his teeth were clenched. His hand squeezed tighter and tighter until he could virtually control Deanna's body with a flick of his fingers and lifted her into the air.

"SAM! NO!" Dean dove towards Sams hand, grabbed it with both of his and pulled with all his might. Nothing changed. He tried again. Nothing. His grip went slack as he pulled back, stood up and stared in disbelief, this wasn't his brother.

His attention turned to Deanna. Her eyes were beginning to roll to the back of her head, but she was still putting up quite a valiant fight. Her finger were desperately clawing at his hand and actually breaking the skin of Sams hand, but he didn't seemed the least bit phased by Deanna's plight, he just seemed to squeeze harder and harder with every movement she made.

When she realized her uncle was watching her she cast him a pleading glance. He panicked and mentally yelled at her to hold as he thought of another attack plan...his first one had failed...now what could he do?

Dean was on his knees as soon as an idea entered his mind. He turned to Deanna. "Ok, sweetheart, hold on." Then to Sam. He grimaced. "Sorry about this, buddy." Then pulled back his arm, fisted his hand, and let it fly.

He was sure he had broken his brother's nose when he pulled his fist back and all he seen was blood on his knuckles, but he had no time to worry about that. He quickly changed directions and crawled towards the spot where Deanna lay.

The skin on and around her neck was already starting to bruise. Dean laid his hand gently on her arm. "Are alright, De? Can you breath? Don't speak just nod."

Deanna nodded.

"Hold on, ok? I'll go get ya a drink." he jumped to his feet and was just about to sprint away when Deanna grabbed his pant leg. He looked down. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

She shook her head wildly and then pointed at Sam across the room. It didn't take Dean long to realize what was wrong. She didn't want to be alone with him. If this had been any other situation he would have reprimanded her and told her to grow up. But this wasn't any other situation.

"Ok sweetheart." he knelt slightly and slipped his arm underneath her back. "You'll come with me. Ready? One, two..." he pulled her to her feet. "Three."

Deanna nodded her thanks then grimaced when she swallowed. "I know it hurts, De, and it will for a while. You got some bruise." She nodded slightly then jumped when she heard her dad moan.

Dean looked down at the girl who had latched herself to him, then at the man across the room and shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder the size of rift this would cause between father and daughter.

So much for thinking, this trip would be easy...almost like a family vacation. He should have known better than that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Didn't like how the chapter turned out the first time so I fixed it. The story's still horribly unbeta-ed but it works...right!**

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Two days passed without a single word uttered between Deanna and her dad. A trip that normally took about a day, Tulsa, Oklahoma to Farmer's Branch, Texas, took 2 and a half, thanks to the numerous pit stops made by both parties so Deanna could either, refill her water bottle, go to washroom, or empty the contents of her already empty stomach after the throat irritation got to be too much to handle.

With each stop the evil stares Dean directed at Sam increased in duration and degree, until Sam could take it no longer and exploded. "What, Dean? What? What is it?"

Dean studied his brother's face for a while before speaking. "What happened to you back in that room?"

All of Sam's anger seemingly drained from his body as he bowed his head and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. I'm standing in the doorway with 3 coffee cups and the next thing I know I'm on the floor with a bloody nose and you two are across the room with wide eyes staring at me like I had murdered someone."

"Well you were damn close to doing so." Dean snorted angrily. "I heard her collarbone crack, Sam. I knew that if you had broken that then she had no protection against you whatsoever. She would dead within a matter of minutes. You were crushing her throat, man. I'm amazed she still has the ability to ta-"

"I saw her throat, Dean, I'm not blind!" He gripped his head in his hands and clenched his eyes shut. Since that day he had spent all of his waking hours - all forty-eight – desperately trying to purge the awful visual that had plagued him since waking up on the motel's floor from his battered mind. With every twist and turn of his head he saw Deanna. The pain in her eyes. Her throat and the hand shaped bruises that surrounded it.

She had taken to wearing turtle necks and long sleeved shirts, but none of it helped. He still had the claw marks and caked on blood on his knuckles, wrists, and hands. He still knew what lay behind the shirts. He still knew what he had done to her. No one could just wash a memory like that away with a quick cup of stale coffee and a pat on the shoulder. Why should he be any different?

Deanna appeared suddenly in front of the car and slammed her hand against the hood of the Impala and in the loudest voice she could manage, she growled. "We have to get there. NOW!"

Both Winchester men simultaneously exited the Impala and dove to Deanna's side. "What happened, De?" Dean spoke, but Sam was the one that made contact with her, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. He couldn't say he was surprised when Deanna all but ignored his existence and turned to Dean. "It killed again...another baby...I know..." she shook her head and grimaced."I can't tell you how I know, but---I just know."

The brothers shared a quick look before Dean turned back to Deanna. "Your dad will drive the Stingray, De. You ride in the car with me, have a few hours of sleep in the back-" "But I-" "I can see it in your eyes, Deanna. You have a shit poker face, just like your dad. When you're in pain it shows." He ignored the pained grimace that slowly crossed his Sam's face as the words "in pain" slipped from his lips.

As soon as Deanna knew she had been found out she let her eyes glaze over. She slowly made her way to the back door of the Impala and opened the door, and in passing informed the two still standing near the front of the car that "It did it."

The two turned toward her. "What?"

For the first time since the situation in the motel room, Deanna settled her attention directly on her dad's form and continued. "It hurt me...it wanted to stop me from coming." She turned to Dean. "Dad didn't do anything." a steely expression suddenly blossomed on her face and she snarled. "Let's go get this son of a bitch." Then got in the car and slammed the door.

Sam and Dean shared a quick smile before each turned towards their respective side of the Impala. No words were shared simply because Dean's "No chick flick moments" rule was still strictly enforced. The only reason it would ever and could ever be ignored was if one of them, greater good forbid, had contracted some life threatening, flesh eating disease and only had moments to live. Dean had come up with said rule almost 24 years ago and still followed it as strictly as some people followed the Gospels in the bible. He always had and probably always would. Some things never died.


End file.
